Rammstein's Liebe ist für alle da, the No 2 album in Europe, can no longer be "publicly displayed" in German shops. According to the German ministry responsible for protecting children, the industrial-metal group's sixth studio album is "harmful" to young people with its provocative art, lyrics and song titles.

The ruling by the Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People takes effect tomorrow (11 November), from which point Rammstein's album may only be sold "under the counter" and one track, Ich tu dir weh (I Want to Hurt You), will be banned from live performance. The album can no longer be advertised or made accessible to people under the age of 18.

Rammstein happily court controversy, and with their new album they haven't changed their tune so much as played it louder than usual. The album's cover – a painting featuring the band eating the flesh of a naked woman – isn't worse than many other heavy-metal album covers, nor do their lyrics ("Bites, kicks, heavy blows, nails, pincers, blunt saws – tell me what you want") break new ground in hard-rock horror.

Then again, Rammstein aren't like many other metal acts. Their last five albums have reached No 1 in the German charts, and Liebe ist für alle da has done the same in Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Finland and the Netherlands. It was No 2 in France, No 13 in the US and reached No 16 in the UK when it was released last month.

German officials are not among the group's fans. The order to remove the album from display was made under section 18 of the Youth Protection Act, which can only be invoked after a major institution – like the German youth welfare department – registers a complaint, according to Billboard. This is the first time a Rammstein album has been added to the list.

On their Facebook page, Rammstein acknowledged the ruling and reminded fans to "take proof of your age with you when you go to [buy the album]". Presumably, this is especially true if you plan to buy the "special edition" of Liebe ist für alle da – a box set featuring six pink latex replicas of the band-members' penises.

Although the Office for the Examination of Media Harmful to Young People only banned 116 albums last year, and 131 in 2007, they have ruled against 966 albums in 2009 so far. A spokesperson told Billboard this was due to a sharp increase in releases that "glorify violence or are of a racist or pornographic nature".